Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture

Human Factors in Responsive Landscapes:
Importance and Method

Current ecological thinking posits humans as the major contributor to the changing environment.
Drawing ecological theories from science and philosophy, this paper suggests that designers
should prioritize the study of human interactions with the environment in landscape research, and thus,
human factors need to be addressed in developing and conceptualizing responsive landscapes. This
paper identifies human factors in the responsive landscape framework and introduces game engines as
a type of responsive technology to facilitate the study of human factors in responsive landscapes.
Through constructing interactive representations that simulate interactions between human and nonhuman
factors, designers can establish relations with more robust ideas in responsive landscapes that
could better respond to unpredictable cultural practices. The method proposed by this paper also allows
for opportunities to develop responsive landscapes that are not only ecologically supported but also
experientially enhanced.